There has been a need in the prior art to provide high voltage cables with connector blocks which carry intermating electrical terminals electrically secured to the ends of the cables. The connector blocks usually carry plural cables which supply high voltage to a load or a current source and comprise the return circuit path from the load or current source. When the connector blocks are disconnected from each other the load or current source may have some residual voltage even though supply voltage has been disconnected. The contacts of an unmated connector block are exposed and thereby provide a danger of electrical shock from the residual voltage. One way to minimize the danger of electrical shock is to recess the exposed electrical contacts as far as possible within the confines of the connector block. The contacts although recessed are yet exposed and freely accessible through the connector block cavities. The present invention provides a shunting device which automatically disconnects the contacts within a connector block from residual high voltage immediately upon uncoupling the connector block from a corresponding intermateable connector block. The high voltage is automatically restored to the contacts by disconnecting the shunting device upon intermating the connector block with another connector block, the presence of which additionally prevents access to the high voltage contacts.
It is desirable to provide both high voltage conductors and signal conductors in a single connector block. This is made possible in large part by superior dielectric materials which prevent arcing over among the grouped signal paths of lines. Yet there exists the possibility of arcing over through air space when the connector blocks are unmated and the signal lines are grouped closely adjacent one another. Such arcing over usually occurs as the connector blocks are being mated or uncoupled from each other. The present invention minimizes the phenomenon by connecting or disconnecting the signal lines one at a time as the blocks are mated together or uncoupled, as the case may be, sequent connections being separated from each other a maximum distance across the connector block to eliminate arcing over between the signal lines. Dielectric sleeves plug cavities containing unmated contacts further preventing arcing over.